Once a week, we gather stories about the media business, journalism, writing, communications, and freelancing—with a Canadian focus—and share them in Off the Wire. Who needs a water cooler?

From Canada:

• What layoffs at Elle Canada, Style at Home and Canadian Living mean for the future of print [J-Source]
• Alberta Views short fiction contest open [Alberta Views]
• CBC and CMG Reach a Tentative Deal [CMG]

From The U.S. and beyond:

• Rookie mistakes freelancers make when they launch a business [Creative Boom]
• What to look for before writing a story about an academic study [CJR]
• Four tips for building your professional brand [Freelancers Union]
• These 4 questions might be preventing you from starting a side hustle [Inc]
• Bounce back from burnout with these three simple steps [Freelancers Union]
• How to work at peak productivity–and know when to take a break [Fast Company]

Recently on Story Board:

• Freelancer-related highlights of the CMG's tentative agreement with CBC: The proposed agreement will provide more clarity to distinguish between the various types of freelance engagements. The CMG will have access to additional contact information for freelancers to improve communication about their rights. As well, we negotiated freelance rate increases in line with the across-the-board wage increases for other members...
• Public Lending Right program's 2019 registration period now open: If you’re a Canadian author, illustrator or photographer with one or more published books, it’s time to register for the Public Lending Right Program. The program is a Canada Council for the Arts initiative that sends payments every year to creators whose books are in Canadian public libraries...

Spot a story you think we should include in next week's Off the Wire? Email the link to editor@thestoryboard.ca or tweet us at @storyboard_ca.